Constants
by Straying Life
Summary: Huge AU. Three years it’s been since Danny’s funeral. When Damian arrives, Sam finds herself repulsed yet confused. Yet, enemies have come for him, and only his inner workings know what is happening.
1. Constants

Hello all! Another one of Danny returns fics, but loosely based off of Chapter 15 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Holy hell, I got such a kickass image in my mind reading it I had to type this up!

And I'm a teacher now! I teach pixel shading and shoes at Digital Arts University! WHOO! I shall reign over students for about 11 weeks! Anyways…have fun with my new experimental story, Constants!

And no, this story is NOT COMPLETE. Only about one and a half chapters are. The reason I updated? The same as the others: SUMMER BABY! No more school, thank GOD!

SUMMARY: Huge AU. Three years it's been since Danny's funeral. But in the night, a mysterious figure comes along and startles everyone. The town's life as a whole spirals out of control, and some people's lives are put right back on track.

DISCLAIMER: nope.

RATED: T for…I don't know, but I have a feeling that something will come along making it T.

Chapter 1

"Constants"

Sam

There will always be a constant in life. It will be hard to find, but it's always there, lurking behind the variables, forgotten and lonely, lost in the excitement of what's new. But it's always there for us, holding up our world, making sure the floor doesn't fall out on us.

Well, we're a special case. We had a constant. We really did. His name was Danny Fenton. My best friend. He'd been my constant since kindergarten, Tucker's since before Pre-K, and his family's forever. Then, one day, he just upped and left. Just like that. We were 13 then. He had a funeral a month later. He hadn't returned. How the hell do you expect a scrawny 13-year-old boy to make it out there in a big city like Amity Park? A month is more than anyone could've expected him to live. A week, maybe, at most.

But I never stopped believing. Believing that somewhere out there, Danny was still alive, and our constant will come back and restore our lives to normal.

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April 3rd. Danny's birthday. Why the hell do they give him the funeral on his birthday? It makes no sense; the very same day everyone celebrates his coming into the world, they mourn his coming out of life. I despise it. I still want to cherish his birthday.

I knew as a fact that the casket was empty. It was a closed casket ceremony. Jewish. I didn't know why, but I think that one of his parents was Jewish.

At long last, they called me up for the eulogy. I didn't have a paper prepared or anything. I was going to speak from the heart, because that's where it hurts me the most.

"Danny Fenton…To many of us, he was just another kid in high school who was really lazy, really dumb, and really weak," I began, staring at fellow classmates who were now staring wide-eyed at the casket. "But to me…to Jazz…to Tucker…to his family…he was more than that. Much more. He was a son, a best friend, a hero and idol…and to me, he was my entire life. He was sweet and kind, always putting others before him. He stood up for what he knew was right, no matter what the cost was, no matter what would happen, because he knew that it was right. All we can wish for now is that his spirit is fine and that he's happy in the afterlife."

I stepped down, about to fall over in hysterics. But I managed to hold it in until I got to my seat, where I grabbed a tissue and blew into it silently.

At long last, the service ended and I met up with Tucker. As we were leaving the temple, I saw a shady figure—scrawny, messy-haired—running around the sides. I looked closer but couldn't determine who it is. On the other hand, I saw the millionaire Vlad Masters and I had to wonder what he was doing here. If there was one thing I knew it was that he wasn't here to mourn Danny.

"Sam? What are you looking at?" asked Tucker, looking where I was. I turned around, moving his head straight and replied, "Nothing. Let's go."

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"Did you hear?"

"He's alive!"

"It was fake?"

"Empty, I heard!"

"You think he's coming back?"

Whispers echoed throughout the Ghost Zone, abuzz with the most recent rumor. This was unlike any other one: this was true. They saw the human news broadcasting from Amity saying that further research into Danny Fenton proved that he did not, in fact, die.

And because he was the halfa ("Sixth year! Gaining power!"), this was the biggest thing to happen in the Ghost Zone since Pariah's sudden uproar. This attack, actually, was fended off by the halfa himself, unbeknownst to the human world.

Vlad Masters sat in his lab, the portal open. With a special amplification device, he heard the recent news. The halfa was alive! He grinned mischievously; he was hunting this mysterious halfa for six years…it was time to find out who he was, and what his business was.

"Mr. Masters?" said one of the servants, peering into the lab.

"Yes?" he replied suspiciously.

"There is a call for you."

"Thank you, Dina." Vlad picked up the phone. It was his love, Maddie.

"Oh, _Vlad_!" she sobbed happily. "Did you hear the news?"

"About what?" he asked warily.

"About Danny! He's _alive_!" she squealed.

"Why, yes, yes I did," he said, sounding relieved but overjoyed at the same time.

"Please, help us find him! If he's alive, then God knows what has happened to him!" Vlad grinned and felt grateful that his sweetheart, although married to a moron, had invited him to their home in Amity. He was actually quite attached to Danny from what he heard of the little boy. He was also fond of Jazmine, the bright little girl.

"I'll be over there by Friday," said Vlad as he hung up and ran up to his room to pack.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: sometime…

Gawd, it's not easy typing up a Vlad who actually _likes_ the Fenton kids! Well, it is easy, it's just not easy imagining him that eager to go pack. (Twitches) Nasty image. Whatever, I like the story idea! By the way, in case no one knows by now: Vlad doesn't know who the halfa really is. He just knows who the halfa looks like in his ghost form. So, in theory, he likes Danny! No, not that way, sickos.


	2. Dim Candlelight

I'm back on 4/6 now! Finals week 1 is over with! Bwaha! I wish I'd learned ratios now…I'm a moron. It had that, and inequalities. I'm just sitting there, thinking, "I took the SAT's. We're not in high school and we're getting questions on the FREAKING SAT'S!"

Just to clear things up: first part of the chapter is third person, second part is in Sam's point of view, the third is back in third person. For those who couldn't get it.

And as random as this is, I think I know why Vlad lives in Wisconsin…there's a place in Wisconsin called MADISON, which just happens to be the full version of the name Maddie! Whaddya know!

DISCLAIMER: nope. But I do own AU Vlad! (Giggle)

RATED: refer to chapter 1. Except now, there is some slightly mature content. (Points to Half-OC Sam conversation.)

Chapter 2

"Dim Candlelight"

Twilight. A beautiful moment in time.

Blending in with the starry black sky was a sixteen-year-old boy. His hair covered his face and light blue eyes. His dark clothing, which kept him warm in the nights, hung off his body as he ran across the lawns of Amity Park residents. At long last, he reached the large Fenton Works sign. Even seven years later, it hadn't changed.

Passing through the door silently, he immediately headed up to his parents' room. His mother, who faced the window, bathed in the moonlight, her face peaceful, her hair strewn all over. Danny couldn't move. The sight was just too beautiful. When Danny struck a match on a nearby candle, he got a better view of the room, and soon his mother's face was a soft orange. She moved on her side, but no matter what, she was still beautiful.

"Mom…" he muttered. A grin glowing on his face, he leaned in and pressed his lips against his mother's cheek. She grinned, but was still asleep. And just like that, he disappeared into nothing more but smoke, a wonderful dream…gone.

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Three years. Still haven't given up hope. How can I? I love him. Note, I said love, not loved. I will never stop loving him, our old constant, the one thing missing. I will never forget him, but just for now, just for now…I need to push him to the side. That new kid in town…also caught my attention.

He was just enrolled in school. His name, as far as I know is Damian. I have yet to find out the rest of his name.

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"Manson, Samantha!"

"Here!"

"Ortega, Marina!"

"Here!"

"Podolec, Damian Feleti!"

At this, my head turns. It's that Damian kid! I've only seen him once, but he's in my _class_? When did _that_ happen?

"Yeah!"

I suddenly notice what he looks like. He reminds me a lot of Danny. His eyes are totally different, a striking hazel, but he's just as pale and scrawny. His hair is mainly the same colour. It's a dark black with the bangs in front of his face, kind of spiky. He has mildly long hair for a guy, about my length, pulled back into a tiny ponytail. The tips are dyed lime green, which only makes it more nostalgic for me. Danny had once told me that lime green was my colour.

He's wearing a sweatshirt, black, with Bite Me written on it in red. He wears cargo pants—although it's hard to tell because he has chains all over them—and calf-high neon green boots. He's wearing matching biker gloves. He's fingering a few keys, probably the key to his house and…okay, I'm at a loss for the second key, but, just for some humour, perhaps his motorcycle?

"Hey, I'm Sam." His head turns and his hazel eyes stare at me, scrutinizing my every motion and sizing me up.

"I know," he says. I raise my eyebrows, but excuse it. After all, I had responded to my name in attendance.

"Just giving you fair warning. Avoid the big blond jock and his group."

"Oh, you mean the moron over there whose head is probably smaller than ?" said the boy. I giggled inwardly. I'm going to get along with this kid.

"So, what's your name again?"

"Damian Feleti Podolec," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Feleti?" I asked.

"My parents were weird, even I don't know why that's my name. But hey, Damian is half-decent." He shrugged. The bell rang and so the class began to rise. Just as Damian was about to walk out, the aforementioned jock came up to him and shoved him to the floor. Damian only got up silently and began walking, with Dash behind him. Then, just as the door shut behind them, Damian quickly shoved Dash in the crotch of his pants. The force caused Dash to fall back and hit his neck and head against the shut door.

"CRAP!" he yelled in a pained, strained voice. Damian turned back with a sly grin on his face as a crowd gathered.

"That's for being an ass." The crowd didn't speak, only allowed him to pass through to get to his next class. I looked back and wondered who exactly this kid was.

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He rang the doorbell and waited. Nervously, he whistled. It was his way of ridding anxiety.

The door opened, and there stood the couple Maddie and Jack in jeans and T-shirts. Their daughter, Jazz, was wearing a knee-length skirt with a lavender top. She smiled at him and waved. Vlad waved back.

"Vladdy!" said Jack happily. Vlad came forward and hugged Jack.

"It's been a while!" he said in response. Vlad excused himself to put his bags away. He only mildly liked Jack Fenton, but still loved Maddie. And Jazz…such a sweet young lady…bright and quick, just like her mother.

However, he still loved Danny with all his heart. He may not be as bright, but he knew to have survived three years alone meant that he had guts, that he was brave yet cautious, and resourceful. Yes, from what he knew, he liked the boy.

In the guest bedroom, Vlad took out his laptop and opened up his file on the ghost boy. For some reason, he still didn't know the hybrid's name! He would have to ring up the few ghost alliances there were; most ghosts didn't associate with humans.

"Brian?" asked Vlad into the camera, watching the laptop's screen show a glowing face.

"Vlad?" he replied. The pale ghost had black hair and a small beard with glasses and a pointless scarf around his neck—although Brian insisted that its purpose was "artistic" and that Vlad "just didn't have the kind of creativity needed to appreciate its purpose." He still thought it was just some stupid little strip of wool.

"Brian, have you found his name?"

"No, sorry, Vlad."

"Dammit, man, can't you do anything right!" he raged. Vlad clutched his head with his hands. "For God's sake, how am I expected to catch him if I don't even know his freaking name!"

"Hey, look here, Vlad," said Brian defensively. "You're already cutting into my poetry time! My last anthology was ruined by him, so don't you think I'd try to get you the name? I want to get some revenge on him too! And furthermore—!" Vlad's head shot up.

"Wait, Brian…you said he ruined your last anthology. How?"

"He interrupted my stream of writing, so I had to put him in the writing world and could more or less control him with my writing."

"Send me that anthology ASAP."

"Aye-aye, Captain No-Cat!" joked Brian.

"So long, Scarf Attack!" returned Vlad.

"I TOLD YOU, IT'S ARTISTI—!"

Vlad closed the laptop and left the room for dinner.

At the table, Vlad noticed the empty chair, how it was still clean as if the child who was supposed to sit there was just late for dinner. The chair was so innocent…and Vlad couldn't stop himself.

"Pardon my asking, but…what happened to Daniel?"

Immediately, everyone around him dropped their utensils, unintentionally glaring at Vlad like a strange creature sat at the table instead of an old college friend. Vlad was beginning to sweat when Maddie—ah, Maddie!—spoke.

"Um…at the airport in France after our vacation, a criminal got past security. He found Danny, who was only one and a half and a little too active for his own good. The criminal found him and took out a gun and…s-shot him."

Maddie didn't cry, didn't fall into a helpless pile. Only had a hard time saying it. The family functioned without Danny, but was never complete, his nonexistent presence hanging over them.

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Damian walked to his new home, the address a familiar faded memory. The owners of his last one had returned home from Aruba, but he heard of another family that left, the richest in the entire city! Damian grinned to himself and climbed in through what appeared to be the kitchen window, but the room was so massively huge it appeared to be more the basement than anything. But he ventured up the stairs, making sure he didn't make a sound at all just in case there was a cleaning lady or a servant. It was likely.

Finally, he found an untouched room, musty and warm. He went in and looked around. His new home. Grinning, he dropped his backpack. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. He had to get out, and now! If _he_ realized whose house this was…then what would happen? Nothing good, he was sure.

Damian jumped through the window, landing nimbly on his feet. He began running at top speed, nothing but a slow blur to many. However, he managed to get to the other side of town before he fell asleep and _he_ woke up.

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_April 3rd. A day many would never forget at JFK International Airport watching the small boy, no more than two years old, get dragged out, pasty white skin bordering blue, blood stains on his shirt. That day, near the bathroom, a man grabbed hold of him. Took out a dagger and asked a single question._

"_Can you talk?"_

_Silence._

"_I'm ASKIN' YA! Can you talk?!"_

"_Yes, sir, I can talk!"_

_With an answer, the man grinned sickly and thrust the dagger forward, no one there to witness the crime. No scream escaped the young boy either. So there lay a small boy, bathing in a large puddle of his own blood. What was supposed to be inside was now out._

_It took only minutes for them to find him, but to him, it felt like days, sitting in that horrendous puddle, crouched up. His parents had gone on the plane without him by now; since he could walk and run, they allowed him to walk by their side, and not in their arms. _

_He was just going to be buried under this very airport, this very spot. _

_Then the security guards came, who called 911. The ambulance hurried over and managed to save him. He had nowhere to go. He wasn't a native, and after this, his parents were going home to North Dakota. He couldn't be taken into an orphanage. He still had parents. But he didn't know where._

_So he lived out of the hospital until thirteen, then fled and ended up in Amity Park, Virginia._

Chapter 2

Chapter 3: LATER.

Dude…I didn't expect a lot of this to happen…there's a connection between Constants and Subconscious. In this chapter, it connects with chapter 1 (NOT PROLOGUE) of Subconscious, so…yeah.


End file.
